Ever since the rules of golf permitted the lifting, cleaning and replacing of a golf ball resting on a putting green golfers have used plastic discs, powder and dye dispensers, detachable buttons from golf gloves, markers which fit into the grip ends of putters and innumerable other means of marking the position of a golf ball on a green. Coins are the most popular. PGA and LPGA tour golfers use coins with a few exceptions. A few of the tour golfers wear slacks that have small pockets sewn into them for this purpose.
But ordinary slacks or skirts that golfers wear today are form fitting and as a result pockets are not easily entered in the search for a suitable coin. This tends to slow down play, a problem that plagues overcrowded courses.
Obviously a device for the safe storage, fast removal and replacement of a properly sized marker that could be worn on the exterior of golf clothing would help to speed play in addition to eliminating the soiling and wear and tear on clothing.
Pruitt No. 2978335 discloses a putter with an open recess at the top of the grip. A magnet holds a magnetizable marker within the recess. The marker is tilted for removal.
There are a number of reasons why this prior art proved to be unsuccessful. Golfers don't buy putters because of marker storage capability. They buy putters to fit their putting style.
It is expensive to modify a putter grip to hold a magnet and marker. Furthermore, the marker is too small.
A golf ball marker should be very close to one inch in diameter or the size of a quarter. This size is ideal because it is easily handled even in bad weather and can be seen in nearly all cases by all the golfers on the green. Its position in relation to the cup should be noted with care because to step on or walk across the line of any putt to the hole is a serious breech of golf etiquette. However, it is permissible to straddle a putting line when a short tap in will eliminate an additional lifting and marking of a ball position.
Grinders U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,237 shows a combination clip, snap button marker, tee holder and green repair tool. There are two objections to the marker. First, it is too small for reasons stated above. Second, the marker has a projecting knob that must be pressed into the soil to anchor it. Otherwise it can swivel by action of the wind. One of the basic rules in golf is not to disturb any part of a green except to repair the scar caused by a falling golf ball. A snap button when pressed into the soil violates this rule.
Up to this time violation of this rule has been ignored. It is only a matter of time until the rule will be clarified and enforced thus making snap buttons obsolete.
My invention bypasses all of the inconveniences inherent with pocket stored marking devices and coins. It also overcomes the objections in Pruitt's U.S. Pat. No. 2,978,335 and Grinder's U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,237. Moreover, it would be very inexpensive to produce. It is expected that the advertisement on the marker will offset the cost of production so that the device will be used as a free premium by golf equipment firms to golfers who buy their products.
Anybody moderately handy with simple tools can construct a working model of my invention with locally obtainable materials.